EVENT LINK: https://windmillprojectmn.org

FEE: Free

Christmas Celebration

Sunday, December 14, 2025, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Grand Arbor - Lower Level

4403 Pioneer Road, Alexandria, MN 

Use front doors across from Alexandria Area High School

Join The Windmill Project for a Christmas Celebration!

This event is for those with special needs & their friends & family to celebrate Christmas in a sensory accommodating atmosphere. All ages are welcome!

Activities include:

• Visit with Santa

• Photographer

• Cookie Decorating

• Crafts & Games

This event is sponsored by Christensen Group Insurance!

EVENT LINK: https://centrallakessymphony.org/events/

FEE: $20 adult, $5 student

Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra “TRAGIC PASSIONS”

February 15, 2026 @ 2:00 pm

“Tragic Passions” is a dramatic orchestral concert exploring love, obsession, and fate through two romantic masterpieces. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture opens the program with sweeping melodies and emotional intensity, capturing the doomed passion of Shakespeare’s iconic lovers. Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique follows, a groundbreaking work that plunges into the mind of a lovesick artist, driven to madness by unrequited love. With vivid orchestration and haunting themes, both works delve into the darker side of romance, culminating in a powerful, emotionally charged experience. “Tragic Passions” invites listeners to journey through the ecstasy and anguish of love’s most intense expressions.

Pytor I. Tchaikovsky…………………Romeo and Juliet Overture

Hector Berlioz…………………………Symphonie Fantastique

EVENT LINK: https://centrallakessymphony.org/events/

FEE: $20 adult, $5 student

Central Lakes Symphony Orchestra "MAGNIFICAT"

March 29, 2026 @ 4:00 pm

The concert presents a vibrant journey through sacred and dramatic soundscapes, featuring Liszt’s stately March of the Three Holy Kings, evoking the grandeur of the Magi’s pilgrimage. Saint-Saëns’ Danse Bacchanale adds fiery, exotic flair with its rhythmic intensity and vivid orchestration. Taylor Scott Davis’ Magnificat, a modern choral masterpiece, offers a reflective yet powerful setting of Mary’s song of praise. Highlighting the evening is the angelic artistry of the St. John’s Boys Choir, whose voices bring a unique purity and emotional depth to the program. Together, these works celebrate faith, passion, and the transcendent power of music.

Franz Liszt…………………….March from “The Three Holy Kings”

Camille Saint-Saens……….Danse Bacchanale

(selected works by the St. John’s Boys Choir)

Taylor Scott Davis…………..Magnificat

EVENT LINK: https://centrallakessymphony.org/events/

FEE: $20 adult, $5 student

SOUL’S INSPIRATION

May 16, 2026 @ 7:00 pm

“Soul’s Inspiration” is a vibrant celebration of passion, resilience, and the power of music to uplift the spirit. The concert opens with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, a dazzling burst of energy and optimism. Lesley Donahue brings tenderness and depth to Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs, offering a moment of serene introspection. Next the orchestra will premiere a composition by the internationally renowned Minnesota composer, Jocelyn Hagen. The Runestone Chorale ignites the stage with the fiery rhythms of Verdi’s Anvil Chorus, followed by the stirring Prelude to La Traviata, evoking themes of love and sacrifice. Soprano Randa Melhem captivates with her sultry interpretation of Bizet’s Habanera, infusing the evening with sensual charm. The concert concludes in grand style with Verdi’s Triumphal March from Aida, featuring the full power of the Runestone Chorale. Soul’s Inspiration is a thrilling journey through operatic and orchestral masterpieces that stir the heart and soul, leaving audiences moved, inspired, and uplifted.

Leonard Bernstein…………………..Overture to Candide

Jules Massenet……………………….Meditation on “Thais”

Lesley Donahue, violin

Jocelyn Hagen…………………………(Untitled)

Giuseppe Verdi………………………..Anvil Chorus from “Il Trovatore”

Runestone Chorale

Giuseppe Verdi………………………..Prelude to “La Traviata”

Georges Bizet………………………….Habanera from “Carmen”

Randa Melhem, soprano

Giuseppe Verdi………………………..Triumphal March from “Aida”

Runestone Chorale

Eric Whitacre……………………………Equus

EVENT LINK: https://centrallakessymphony.org/events/

FEE: $20 adult, $5 student

CHAMBER CONCERT

June 14, 2026 @ 2:00 pm

A chamber music concert is an intimate, small-scale performance featuring a select group of musicians playing together without a conductor. The term “chamber” comes from its origins in private rooms or salons rather than large concert halls, and the atmosphere still reflects that closeness today.

In this setting, each performer plays an individual part, creating a rich, conversational interplay between instruments. The repertoire often includes works for string quartets, piano trios, wind ensembles, or other small combinations, ranging from delicate Baroque pieces to contemporary compositions.

The concert experience is typically more personal than a full symphony performance: the audience is close enough to observe subtle musical gestures, quiet breaths before a phrase, and the unspoken communication between players. The acoustics allow for fine details—gentle dynamics, nuanced phrasing, and warm tone colors—to shine through.

Chamber music concerts often feel like being invited into the musicians’ own living room: refined yet relaxed, where every note carries both artistry and intimacy. It’s music in its purest form—collaboration, conversation, and connection.  Please join us at the Mount Carmel Chapel on beautiful Lake Carlos, in Alexandria MN.